Conclusion
by Flaming-June
Summary: Continuation of "Resistance." Not required to read this 'fic but recommended for plot purposes. WIP. Trinity and Neo wake up to another world.


**Author's Note:**  Thanks to Crystal for beta reading.  Yer a doll. ;o)  This 'fic is a continuation of another 'fic that I wrote a month or so ago titled "Resistance".  It doesn't really matter if you read the other one or not, but you might be less confused as to how I came up with this plot if you did.  Oh, and it's not entirely finished – I'm having issues coming up with an ending.  Er, if you guys have any suggestions, feel free to loan them. ^_^  Of course, credit will be due where credit is earned.

**Disclaimer:** Warner Brothers owns everything.

**Conclusion**

            Everything in the Matrix is unreal, untrue, and definitely unfathomable.  The ability to jump 8 lanes of traffic, and survive a thirty-story drop onto solid pavement can only be done when a human is plugged into the program.  Learning the expert skills of a martial artist, or the delicate maneuvers of an Olympic gymnast is only a disk away, and as for materialistic needs, merely a stroke of a button.  All this and more is available to any being once attached to the Matrix mainframe.

            Reality on the other hand, is not so gracious, nor anywhere near entertaining.  In the Real World, one is incapable of flying in and out of skyscrapers, or holding their breaths for an infinite degree of time.  Instead, they are left to cope with their fragile bodies, and the harsh fact that life ends, one way or another.  In the Matrix, life continues through syntaxes and sentient programming, and those who have survived the longest become the rulers of this Unreality.

            The Anomaly made his presence known within the System, as a slew of Agents suddenly became "obsolete."  As dismembered body parts shot in every direction, the Anomaly leapt from the office building window, avoiding an onslaught of bullets as they whizzed past his flailing body.  Recovering quickly, he commanded the program to allow him the ability to fly, and streaked above the surrounding skyscrapers, eventually finding himself near an open exit.  Landing expertly beside the phone booth, he quickly reached for the receiver and placed it to his ear.

            Snapping open his dark brown eyes, Neo clutched at the hand he knew was already there.  He relaxed as Trinity quickly removed the metal plug from his socket and returned his grasp, reassuringly, "You're fine … Zion got the drop."  She helped him sit up, and eventually stand on the small vessel's deck, releasing his hand as soon as he'd gotten balanced, "But they didn't sound too happy when they got news that we were out here."

            "They wouldn't be happy."  He ran a hand gently down her back as he started towards the consoles at the head of the two-man ship, "We'll be near the surface in another twenty minutes.  Start powering down the ship when we get five hundred meters in.  Stop at three hundred, and wait for me."  He glanced over his shoulder as he was met with silence from his crewmate.

            Lips slightly pursed, her brows were slanted forward in obvious objection, "What if I don't get the power back up in time?  You could be dead before we get out of broadcast."  She tried not to struggle as Neo returned to her, placing his hands upon her lithe arms.

            "It doesn't matter if I make it or not.  It matters if you do … and it matters if they do." The "they" being the city of Zion, "You can't be here if something goes wrong.  I'd rather you be on your way home than stranded in the tunnels …" His grip tightened before he released her completely and started back for the recliner in the middle of the deck.  He could sense that she was going to object to the entire ordeal, but ignored whatever words may come from her direction, instead preparing himself for another entrance into the mainframe.

            "I'm going to wait for you," Were her words as she placed herself next to the chair and his monitor, "and I don't give a fuck where you want me." Her voice was gentle, almost pleading, as she gazed down at his weary expression, her right hand clutching the plug behind his head, "Just get back before we can't see each other anymore."  She placed her hand upon his chest, feeling for a reassuring heartbeat before she leant forward to press her pale lips against his.  The warmth of his mouth lingering on her tender skin, she slid the skewer into his head, pulling back only when his body went limp under her touch.

            Forcing her heavy body to move back to the cockpit, she slumped into a chair, beginning the arduous task of powering down the vessel.

----------

            Fifteen minutes had passed and the ship was drawing closer and closer to the Earth's surface.  It had become colder, as the source of heat had been powered down with everything else but Neo's monitor, so Trinity situated herself next to Neo's lifeless body, wrapping herself in a thermo-induced blanket.  The body beside her needed no such protection as sweat had begun dripping from his forehead, and clinging to various sections of his shirt.  As the ship's main console started beeping, she rushed back to the head of the ship.

            Staring at the long-range sensor readings, the blood in her veins began heating up with anxiety.  She quickly brought the entire vessel's systems back online, not thinking the Sentinels' sensors reached that far beneath the surface.  Charging the EMP, she glanced back towards the lying Neo, praying he woke up in time for her to fire the device.  As the ship drew closer to the oncoming armada, her panic rose as she realized they were approaching at incredible speeds, "No …" _Bombs.  They fired those Goddamn bombs._  Fighting the momentum of the ship, she struggled to gear in reverse – but it was too late.  Hands clutching the controls of the ship, she awaited the inevitable … until the inevitable passed, and she was left there in complete shock.

            At the rather anti-climactic finale, she rechecked her sensors then looked out the window, only to realize that the sensors hadn't detected Sentinels.  They had detected shards of Sentinels, flying through the tunnels from what seemed to be an explosion.  Raising the ship's deflectors, she guided the ship through the floating waste of harmless machinery.  Eyes reflecting her bewilderment, her lips were slightly parted as she took in slow breaths to calm herself.  _What the Hell just happened out here?_

Hearing the shifting form from the recliner behind her, she quickly rose from her chair and rushed back to the awakening Neo.  Making certain he was completely awake, she removed the plug and helped him out of the chair.  When he had trouble standing, she led him to a chair and supported him as he sat.

            He was visibly tired and beaten.  Recovering his strength, he held firmly onto Trinity's hand, only to lose consciousness a moment later.  His body slumped against her support as she bent down to swing one of his arms around her shoulders.  Lifting with her legs, she dragged him into the single bed quarters and left him there to rest.

            She supposed explanations would have to come later.

----------

            Zion was thrown into total chaos as the need for emergency rescues had increased steadily in the past three hours.  While every capable ship was sent out to retrieve the helpless bodies from the disabled Matrix, the people of the city were furiously preparing for an incoming wave of liberated humans.

            As the Eden was eased onto the docking platform, Trinity was relieved to find their only welcomers were Counselor Hamann and a few curious nurses and medics.  Powering down the ship's systems, she rose from her chair, intent on helping Neo off the vessel.  She'd be stopped however when he came straggling out of the quarters and towards the exit ramp.  With a weak hand he clutched onto her shoulder for support, and to reassure her that he was able to walk on his own.  Her silence was protest enough, but before the either of them could hesitate, he opened the hatch and stepped down to meet the Counselor and his entourage.  Trinity was not far behind as she reluctantly submitted to the pair of medics who saw to the minor cuts and burns she'd received when she'd maneuvered through the Sentinel core.

            A gentle pat on the shoulder came from the Counselor when he'd approached the bedraggled Neo, "Well done, son.  It seems you've fulfilled that prophecy of yours."  His pallid old gaze was accompanied by a sliver of tears, as his face emitted a proud smile, "You've saved all of us."

            Offering a weak smile, Neo remained silent as he attempted to produce a response, but he'd be saved the trouble when the Counselor suggested that he get some rest and not allow any visitors for the next twenty-four hours.  He'd merely nod before shifting his attention towards the crowded Trinity.  She was having enough problems trying to pull away from the flustering medics, but was even more startled when she felt a firm grasp around her forearm, then a forceful tug.  As she was broken away from the nurses and doctors, she was wrapped into the hand's owner's embrace and lead away towards the elevators.  It was about then that all Hell broke lose, and those who'd believed in Neo's prophecies came bursting from all directions.  Her body pressed closely to his, he whispered, "Keep walking … keep walking, we're almost there."

            As they entered the elevator, the burst of Zionites nearly knocked the doors down as they shut behind them.  Leaning against the wall of the elevator, they breathed a relief, shooting each other bemused glances.  Sliding an arm across his back, Trinity finally asked, "What happened in there?"  She fixed her gaze upon his tired features, thinking he was well enough to give her that much.

            "I—it's complicated."  When the elevator doors slid open, they quickly darted out and down the corridor towards their quarters before the miracle-seekers caught up to them.  When they'd settled into the comforts of their blankets, he finally went on, "I have to tell you something, but you have to trust me.  Everything that I say right now … it goes against everything that we've believed in."

            "I trust you, Neo … Just tell me what happened when you were in there."  There was anxiety in her voice.

            "I saw the Architect and I kept my word.  It was about then the Matrix shut down and all its inhabitants were freed.  I was on my way out when I went unconscious – it was an exile program trying to get a hold of me while I was still vulnerable."  He paused, finding it difficult to be concise, "I woke up and the next thing I knew I was in this white room, hooked up to a monitor … with about a thousand others.  They were just lined up, side-by-side, unconscious but still alive.  I had no clothes on, but that didn't matter … I wasn't cold."  He could feel the hand on his chest tighten into a fist, perhaps from the sheer shock of it all, "Then she came.  The Oracle.  But not the same Oracle I'd seen in the Matrix – she was a bio-engineered robot.  An android made to look human … She took me away and gave me clothes to wear.  Then told me that my job wasn't finished … that there was more to this, that the Matrix was only a slim part of something much bigger – something more powerful.  Then she told me that I had to go back and tell someone; she told me I had to tell you."  Feeling the soft strands of her hair brush against his chest, he shifted his gaze down at her staring blue eyes, holding her as close as possible, "I have to take you back with me, Trinity … I have to show you what I saw."

            She became quiet, needing the information to sink into her conscious.  But, eventually, she collected the will to speak, "How?  How will we get to where we need to go if there's no Matrix for the Oracle to get to us by?"

            "I have a way.  You remember Chinatown?  How I was able to be in and out of the Matrix without ever being plugged in?  I think that's how I'm here, in Zion.  I don't need the machines to keep me alive anymore."

            His heart was thumping loudly in her ear, and yet, it wasn't.  She couldn't dwell on this now, "How do we do this, Neo?"

            Taking a deep breath, he gently caressed the side of her face with his shaky fingertips, "Relax … go to sleep.  I'll take of it."  His voice seemed to drift-off, as it was easy for her tired mind to black out into slumber.  And soon, the two of them were pleasantly dozing in each other's arms, waiting to be awoken.

----------

            What time was it?  How long had she been sleeping?  Attempting to open her eyes against the daylight, Trinity was irritated to find that she was met with a radiating wall of whiteness.  Her throat was dry, and her mind was throbbing with the pangs of a hangover.  She was late for school … again.  She tried rolling onto her side, but was panicked to find herself paralyzed.

            _What the Hell …_ Then it all came flooding back to her.  She wasn't thirteen anymore – she was closer to thirty.  With a big intake of breath, she finally managed to blink open her newborn eyes to the world above.  Partially blind at first, she adjusted surprisingly well to the bright lights; unfortunately, her body was still paralyzed from the neck down.  Concentrating on her fingers, she urged them to wiggle slowly, and as the feeling returned to her arms, she worked on the rest of her body in hopes of being able to move enough to find Neo.

            That hope would be short-lived however, as a tall form came crouching beside her.  In a familiar voice he began to comfort her, "I'm right here …" Reaching over he removed the plugs and sensors from her head and body.  Removing his sweater, he wrapped it tightly around her frail body and helped her to sit up and eventually stand on the cold, hard tiles.  As she adjusted the sweater to a more wearable position, she leaned against his sturdy form as he slowly began leading her away from the hovering bodies surrounding them, "Don't look.  It'll only make the feeling worse."

            Averting her attention from the bodies, she tried to take in the building they were in.  It was completely white and sterile.  There were no visible doors or windows, and the corridor was lined with hovering capsules containing sleeping bodies.  The ceilings had nothing but glowing white lights, and everything seemed as untouched as the day they were made.  This was not Zion.

            Clearly her throat, she exercised her voice.  In a whispered croak she asked, "Where are we?"

            Keeping her protectively by his side he gave a slight shake of his head, "I don't know … but we're about to find out."  As they approached a niche at the end of the hall, she took in a sharp breath as a large window spanned across the semi-circular section of the level.  As they stepped closer to the thick glass they couldn't help but reach towards the image beyond it, "This can't--…"

            "We're in space." She breathed, struggling to keep herself standing.  Her gaze then drifted towards a reflection out the corner of her eye, "What the Hell …" Twisting her head, she snapped her attention on the distant blue ball floating in the middle of no where, "Oh God."  She was soon joined by a shell-shocked Neo, neither of them able to continue coherent speech.

            "You sure you want to be saying that after what you've been through, sweet pea?"  The warm, motherly voice came from a figure standing behind them.  They both turned to face the Oracle, puzzlement drawn across their pale faces, "Yes, that's Earth.  No, it hasn't been destroyed.  It's in absolute, perfect order."

            Neo's mind had been working since he laid eyes on the third planet, "But for how long?"

            "_Exactly_.  I'm going to leave that up to you, sonny.  Those machines came back here for a reason … and it isn't to get a glass of water."

            He shot a glance towards Trinity before going on, "They plan on using us for slaves.  They were just waiting for the planet to regenerate itself after the war."

            "You've got it … now how are you going to fix this, Mr. Prophet-Man?"

            His brown eyes fixated on the Oracle, his response almost automatic, "I have to wake everyone up without the machines knowing.  We have to retaliate … we have the numbers, if the machines are desperate enough to wake us up again."

            "All right.  But let's take this one step at a time."  With another warm smile, she turned and headed down the corridor.  Neo and Trinity soon followed.


End file.
